4 Quick and Effective Treadmill Workouts Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search Running Treadmill Running 4 Quick and Effective Treadmill Workouts By Christine Luff, ACE-CPT Christine Luff, ACE-CPT Christine Many Luff is a personal trainer, fitness nutrition specialist, and Road Runners Club of America Certified Coach. Learn about our editorial process Updated on September 22, 2022 Reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by nutrition and exercise professionals. Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by John Honerkamp Reviewed by John Honerkamp John Honerkamp is an RRCA and USATF certified running coach, celebrity marathon pacer, and recognized leader in the New York City running community. Learn about our Review Board Print If you don’t like the treadmill or you’re short on time, you can still burn a lot of calories and get an effective treadmill workout without spending a lot of time on the machine. Below you will find the following four quick and effective (and also fun!) treadmill workouts. Treadmill Workouts 30-second sprint intervals: Speed work using fast running intervals and joggingSide-stepping workout: Combines walking, running, and side shufflesWalk the hills/run the flats: Alternate between running and walking on an incline or flatCalorie blasting pyramid workout: Combine running and walking to blast calories 1 30-second Sprint Intervals OJO_Images/Getty With this workout, the time flies by and you'll be soaked in sweat by the end. If you’ve never done any speedwork before, make sure you follow these rules for speed training. Set the treadmill at a 1% incline. Start by walking at an easy pace for one minute. Continue warming up with an easy jog for 5 minutes. You should be at a conversational pace. This will get your blood pumping and your muscles warm and ready for a workout. Pick up the pace to a hard effort (heavy breathing) for 30 seconds. Recover with 90 seconds of easy jogging. Repeat the sprint/recovery intervals 9 more times (18 minutes total). Finish with a 4-minute cool-down at an easy pace – easy jog or brisk walk. Total treadmill time: 30 minutes Watch Out for These Treadmill Walking Mistakes 2 Side Stepping Workout Gary John Norman/Getty This workout combines running and walking with some good old side shuffles, which will really work your glutes and quads. Set the treadmill at a 1% incline. Warm up by walking at an easy pace for one minute. Continue warming up with an easy jog for 4 minutes.Return to walking pace and then, as you hold onto the side rail, turn your body to the side, get low in a squat position, and then start side-shuffling your feet. Don’t try to get fancy and cross one foot over the other. Continue side stepping for 30 seconds and then return to walking forward.Pick up the pace to an easy, conversational running pace for 2 minutes. Then bring the pace back down to walking for a 30-second interval of side shuffles on the other side.Continue with 2 minutes easy running/30 second of side shuffles (alternating sides) until you’ve been at it for 20 minutes.Finish with a 5-minute cool-down at an easy pace. Total treadmill time: 30 minutes Here Are the Best Treadmills to Help You Meet Your Fitness Goals 3 Walk the Hills Run the Flats microgen/Getty If you like alternating between running and walking, this is a good one for you. You’ll really work your glutes with the hills. Start with a 5-minute warm-up of easy jogging or brisk walking at a 1% incline. Increase the incline to 2% and walk for 1 minute. Lower incline to 1% and run at a comfortable pace for 1 minute. Increase the incline to 3% and walk for 2 minutes. Lower incline to 1% and run at a comfortable pace for 2 minutes. Increase the incline to 4% and walk for 3 minutes. Lower incline to 1% and run at a comfortable pace for 3 minutes. Increase the incline to 4% and walk for 4 minutes. Lower incline to 1% and run at a comfortable pace for 4 minutes. Finish with a 5-minute cool-down of easy jogging or brisk walking. Total treadmill time: 30 minutes What to Look For in a Home Treadmill 4 Calorie-Blasting Pyramid Workout Erik Isakson/Getty This workout combines running and walking intervals and burns a ton of calories. Set the treadmill incline at 1% and start with a 3-minute warm-up of easy jogging or brisk walking. Then do the following intervals: 30-second medium-paced running/30-second walk1-minute medium-paced running/1-minute walk2-minute medium-paced running/1-minute walk3-minute medium-paced running/1-minute walk4-minute medium-paced running/1-minute walk3-minute hard running/1-minute walk2-minute hard running/1-minute walk1-minute hard running/1-minute walk30-second hard running/30-second walk Finish with a 2-minute cool-down of easy jogging or brisk walking. Total treadmill time: 30 minutes Get a Better Treadmill Workout 2 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Silder A, Besier T, Delp SL. Predicting the metabolic cost of incline walking from muscle activity and walking mechanics. J Biomech. 2012;45(10):1842-1849. doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2012.03.032 Viana RB, Naves JP, Coswig VS, et al. Is interval training the magic bullet for fat loss? A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing moderate-intensity continuous training with high-intensity interval training (HIIT). British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2019;53(10):655-664. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-099928 By Christine Luff, ACE-CPT Christine Many Luff is a personal trainer, fitness nutrition specialist, and Road Runners Club of America Certified Coach. 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